Keeper for cuff links and tie tacks

ABSTRACT

A keeper in the form of a resilient sleeve encircles the slotted stem that projects rearwardly from the head of a cuff link and pivotally supports a cross bar at its rear end. The keeper is long enough to maintain the cross bar substantially perpendicular to the stem when the cuff link is in use, but when desired the keeper can be compressed axially to permit the cross bar to be swung into alignment with the stem so that the keeper can be removed from the cuff link when desired. The keeper also is applicable to shirt front anchors for tie tacks.

nited States Patent 1191 Schuchman Aug. 20, 1974 KEEPER FOR CUFF LINKS AND TIE TACKS [76] ln entor: Frederick E. Schuchman, Gateway Towers, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222 [22] Filed: May 23, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 363,021

[52] U.S. Cl 24/97, 24/49 P [51] Int. Cl A44b 1/18 [58] Field of Search 24/93, 90.5, 49 R, 49 CF,

24/49 CP, 49 A, 97, 243 LP, 73 HS, 73 J,

Great Britain 24/97 23,963 10/1897 Great Britain ..24/90.5

Primary Examiner-Donald A. Griffin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brown, Murray, Flick & Peckham ABSTRACT A keeper in the form of a resilient sleeve encircles the r slotted stem that projects rearwardly from the head of a cuff link and pivotally supports a cross bar at its rear end. The keeper is long enough to maintain the cross bar substantially perpendicular to the stern when the cuff link is in use, but when desired thekeeper can be compressed axially to permit the cross bar to be swung into alignment with the stem so that the keeper can be removed from the cuff link when desired. The keeper also is applicable to shirt front anchors for tie tacks.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures 1 KEEPER FOR CUFF LINKS AND TlE-TACKS Many cuff links are provided with slotted stems, in the rear ends of which cross bars are pivotally mounted. The bars are turned into a position in align ment with the stems in order to permit the cuff links to be inserted in the holes provided for them in shirt cuffs. After such a cuff link has been fully inserted the cross bar is turned at right angles to the stem and serves to prevent the cuff link from being withdrawn from the cuff. However, it happens at times that the cross bars swing back, or are accidentally turned back, into alignment with the slotted stems of the links, whereupon the cuff links fall or work out of the cuffs and usually are lost. If one link of a pair is lost, the other link becomes useless. Since some cuff links are quite valuable it is highly desirable to prevent their loss in this manner.

Tie tacks for neckties are often connected by a short chain to a cross bar that is inserted through a button hole in a shirt front to restrict the movements of a tie sideways and away from the shirt. When the tie tack is removed from the necktie and the shirt is removed, it is not unusual for the cross bar to pull out of the button hole and fall on the floor.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a cuff link keeper of very simple and inexpensive construction, which can be quickly applied to or removed from a cuff link and which in operating position positively prevents the cuff link from accidentally becoming disengaged from a shirt cuff. Another object is to provide such a keeper that can also be used with tie tacks to prevent their accidental separation from shirts.

FIG. 4 is a view of the link in place but rotated on its axis 90 from the preceding figures; and

FIG. is a side view of the keeper used with a tie tack anchored to a shirt.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings, a shirt cuff l is provided with the usual aligned holes by which a conventional cuff link is connected to it. The cuff link has an ornamental head 2 of any desired type, from the back of which a central stem 3 projects. This stem is slotted lengthwise, with its open rear end straddling the central portion of a cross bar 4 pivotally mounted on, a pin 5 secured in the stem. As is well known, such a cross bar has two principal positions. One of these is an inoperative position in which the bar is aligned with the stem as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the other position the bar extends crosswise of the stem; that is, substantially perpendicular to it as shown in FIG. 4. This is the operative position, in which the cross bar is supposed to prevent escape of the cuff link from the cuff. Nevertheless, it sometimes happens that the cross bar accidentally swings or is swung back into alignment with the stem, whereupon the cuff link soon separates from the cuff and usually is lost.

It is a feature of this invention that a keeper is provided for preventing such loss of the cuff link. This keeper is in the form of a tiny resilient sleeve 6 made of rubber or the like, through whichthe stem of the cuff link is inserted. Preferably, the sleeve fits the stem snugly enough to remain in place unless it is deliberately pulled off the stem. This prevents the sleeve from slipping off the stem while the cuff link is being handled. The sleeve is not as long as the stem, but is long enough to encircle the adjoining end of the cross bar while the bar is aligned with stem 3 of the cuff link. The diameter of the ends of the sleeve is great enough to prevent the keeper from passing through the stemreceiving holes in the-cuff. The keeper sleeve must be manually compressible lengthwise or axially so that it can be shortened materially. To facilitate this, the sleeve preferably is in the general'shape of a spool having a central portion considerably smaller in diameter than the diameter of its ends.

OPERATION In using this keeper the cross bar of'a cuff link first is turned into its inoperative position in line with the stem as is the usual custom. The bar and stem then are pushed through the hole in one side of the shirt cuff and then the keeper 6 is slid over the aligned bar and stem and moved up against the area of the cuff engaging the head of the link. The rearwardly projecting cross bar and the rear end of the stem then are inserted in the hole in the other side of the cuff as shown in FIG. 2. By pressing this side of the cuff toward the head of the cuff link, the keeper sleeve can be compressed axially far enoughfor it and the cuff material to clear the inner end of the cross bar, as shown in FIG. 3. The bar then is swung into its operative position across the stem, and the cuff and link are released. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, this permits the resilient sleeve to expand and press one side of the cuff against the cross bar while the other side of the cuff is pressed against the head of the cufflink. It will be seen that there is no possibility of the cross bar accidentally turning on its axis to align itself with the stem of the cuff link-because that would require the keeper to be compressed again. Consequently, the cuff link is locked in the cuff and cannot be removed until the steps just described are reversed.

Such a keeper 8 may also be slipped over the cross bar 9 and the inner end of the anchor chain 10 of a tie tack 11 as shown in FIG. 5. After the shirt 12 has been unbuttoned, the'keeper will prevent the cross bar from accidentally falling or being pulled out of the button hole, as the keeper is too large to pass through that hole.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. The combination with a cuff linkhaving a head and a rearwardly projecting slotted stem and a cross bar pivotally mounted in the rear end of the stem on a transverse axis for movement between positions aligned with the stem and perpendicular to it, of a keeper consisting of a resilient sleeve of rubber-like material encircling said stem and long enough to maintain the cross bar substantially perpendicular to the 3 v 4 stem when the cuff link is in use, said sleeve fitting the ally to permit the cross bar to be swung into said stem snugly, the outer diameter of the central portion aligned position so that the keeper can be removed of the sleeve being less than the diameter of its end porfrom the cuff link.

tions, and the sleeve being manually compressible axi- 

1. The combination with a cuff link having a head and a rearwardly projecting slotted stem and a cross bar pivotally mounted in the rear end of the stem on a transverse axis for movement between positions aligned with the stem and perpendicular to it, of a keeper consisting of a resilient sleeve of rubber-like material encircling said stem and long enough to maintain the cross bar substantially perpendicular to the stem when the cuff link is in use, said sleeve fitting the stem snugly, the outer diaMeter of the central portion of the sleeve being less than the diameter of its end portions, and the sleeve being manually compressible axially to permit the cross bar to be swung into said aligned position so that the keeper can be removed from the cuff link. 